Mission

Still image from The Hawks Nest Tunnel: A Documentary

The digging of the Hawks Nest Tunnel is a story that changed the nation. During and after its construction from 1927-1932, several hundred men died after slowly choking to death on the tunnel’s poisonous silica dust. The disaster drew national attention and led to the passage of  the first federal legislation regarding workplace safety, the Workman’s Compensation Act, in 1936.

After this triumph, however, the history of this disaster disappeared underground for decades. The workers’ stories, like many of their unmarked graves, were lost with the passage of time.

This film will uncover the history of the Hawks Nest Tunnel and the men who lost their lives digging it, and show how their legacy of workplace safety enforcement in America has varied across time, depending on the demands of industry and politics.